First International Sex Opera Band

An insane little record that sounds even wilder than you might guess from the cover – and given that image, that's really saying a lot! The set's kind of a freeform mix of psychedelic rock and sex sounds – recorded in a single day in a Dutch studio with the help of some local ... LP, Vinyl record album(Rock)

Bobby Byrd

Incredible work from Bobby Byrd – the man who was literally standing in the shadow of James Brown during the 60s – given how many times Bobby appeared with James on stage, and worked with him in the studio! Yet despite that near-lifetime association with The Godfather, Bobby's a hell ... CD(Soul)

Kodjovi Kush & Afrospot All Stars

A contemporary Afro Funk record, but one with a vibe that makes us feel like we've discovered some lost strand of sound from the 70s! The Afrospot All Stars are wonderfully jazzy – a group who swing their horns more than blast them at times, warmed up by some great Fender Rhodes and very ... CD(Global Grooves)

Detroit Emeralds

One of the great groups of the Detroit soul scene at the end of the 60s – but an act who never got the full fame of contemporaries like The Four Tops or Temptations! That didn't stop the Detroit Emeralds from being a hell of a vocal act, though – as they've got a mixture of tight ... CD(Soul)

Cannonball Adderley

Killer work from the Cannonball Adderley Sextet of the early 60s – a group that we can never seem to get enough of! As you'd know from the albums by the combo at the time, the group was even more amazing in a live setting than in the studio – because it seemed that in concert, ... CD(Jazz)

Chuck Jackson

A fantastic collection of work from one of the coolest, classiest soul singers of the 60s – one that we'd rank right up there with Jerry Butler or Walter Jackson for the way that he pushed the genre forward strongly with his music! Chuck Jackson had a few hits back in the day, but underneath ... CD(Soul)

Various

A fantastic collection of postwar gospel – one that really keeps the spirit of the "jukebox" in the title! The tunes here are all upbeat, and often share a lot with R&B material of the 50s – especially the vocal group numbers, which often echo more secular modes of early ... CD(Gospel)

Gillian Hills

Totally groovy work from French singer Gillian Hills – an artist who was initially best known for her work in film, thanks to movies like Beat Girl or Les Liaisons Dangereuses – but one who grew to become one of the cooler singers in Parisian pop during the 60s! Gillian's work here is ... CD(French)

Los Camaroes

The final album by one of the mightiest groups on the scene in Cameroon during the 70s – a combo who had broken up, but who are resurrected here – and turn in one of their greatest recordings of the decade! The grooves are tight, fast, and filled with riffing guitar, quick percusison, ... LP, Vinyl record album(Global Grooves)

Sunny & The Sunliners

Insanely wonderful work from the Texas scene at the end of the 60s – a huge collection of the English language soul songs of Sunny & The Sunliners! The group first hit national fame in the earlier part of the 60s, with a sweet falsetto crossover hit – but as the decade moved on, ... CD(Soul)

Arawak

Amazing grooves from Arawak – an obscure Italian combo from the 70s sound library days – and one who work here in a wickedly sharp take on funky jazz! The group's got some great flute in the lead – sometimes biting hard over the breaks, ala Jeremy Steig – sometimes floating ... LP, Vinyl record album(Sound Library)

Sun Ra

A limited repress of two rare sets of material from Sun Ra and The Arkestra – served up here on very cool 10" vinyl! Record one begins with this wonderful spiritual number, "Along Came Ra" – performed live with some great lead vocals from June Tyson to start things out ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz)

John McLaughlin & John Surman

A groundbreaking early album from guitarist John McLaughlin – a set that's a bit different than his more famous work of the mid 70s – with maybe a more avant approach, and a lot more bite as well! The set's really an equal collaboration, rather than just a McLaughlin session – ... CD(Jazz)

Intrigues

Unreleased music from The Intrigues – a group best known for their early hit "In A Moment" – but stepping out here with a warm Philly groove from the second half of the 70s! The music is upbeat and funky, but has a much more raw vibe than mainstream disco – really more ... CD(Soul)

Ledisi

Ledisi's an artist that we've been following right from her very first album back in the 90s – and over the years, she's undergone an amazing amount of growth – and continued to stand at the forefront of the Neo Soul generation she helped launch lmost 20 years back! And this time ... CD(Neo Soul)

Zweistein

A mindblowing record from the Krautrock generation – especially when you consider that it was issued by the Philips label as a massive 3LP package, complete in a silver-toned, textured sleeve that also came with a real mirror attached to the front! The music is every bit as far-reaching as ... LP, Vinyl record album(Rock)

Atlantic Bridge

A very cool quartet from the British jazz/rock years – but one who were a lot more jazz-based than some of their contemporaries! These guys are all instrumental, and although a number of their tunes are familiar rock standards from the late 60s, they don't play them like rock tunes at all ... CD(Jazz)

Anita O'Day

A rare live performance from the great Anita O'Day – only recently discovered, and different from the more widely-circulated album of her Tokyo date in 1963! This time around, Anita's got a mature vibe that really moves past the Verve years – and starts to hint at the direction she'd ... CD(Vocalists)

Gilberto Gil

One of the funkiest albums ever from Gilberto Gil – a set that beautifully mixes rootsy elements with tighter funk arrangements – in a style that's not unlike some of the 70s samba soul experiments from Jorge Ben! The record borrows heavily from American funk and soul of the time, and ... LP, Vinyl record album(Brazil)

Crusaders

A document of an incredible shift in style for the Crusaders – and one that helped them soar even higher in the jazz funk stratosphere! By the time of these albums, the group had changed significantly from their youthful days as the Jazz Crusaders – mostly a trio, with Joe Sample on ... CD(Jazz)

Midori Takada & Masahiko Satoh

Beautiful beautiful work from this spare Japanese duo – Midori Takada on marimba, gong, bells, and drums – and Masahiko Satoh on piano and electronics! The pair work here in a style that's not quite jazz, but also not much like some of the other Japanese instrumental sounds of the 80s ... CD(Rock)

Souljazz Orchestra

Excellent work from Souljazz Orchestra – a group who've consistently been one of the strongest contemporary Afro Funk ensembles for the past decade or so! There's a richness to the Souljazz approach that sets them apart from other groups that might just be going through the motions – ... CD(Global Grooves)

Dave Grusin

Five full albums from keyboardist Dave Grusin – packaged together in a single set, with tiny LP-styled covers for each CD! First up is one of our favorites – the album One Of A Kind, which is a sweet funky fusion outing that really sums up some of the best Dave Grusin modes of the 70s! ... CD(Jazz)

Popol Vuh

One of the moodiest Popul Vuh projects we've ever heard – an unusual set that's heavy on organic, acoustic elements – and which uses multi-tracking to recreate a Tibetan style of vocal chant! Yet despite the obvious influence of styles from global sources, the music is also still very ... LP, Vinyl record album(Rock)

Various

It's been almost 60 years since the Stax Records label forever changed the face of American soul music – and we can think of no better way to celebrate than by dipping into this well-chosen batch of 60 classic tracks from the label's glory days! The whole Stax groove is here – from the ... CD(Soul)

Various

Fierce funk from 70s Brazil – tracks that easily challenge the same heavy vibe you'd know from American work in the funky 45 underground of the time, or even some of the bigger jazz funk releases of the decade! The artists here aren't inspired by the sound of bossa nova – and instead ... CD(Funky Compilations)

Jerry Bergonzi

Jerry Bergonzi has been making records for decades – yet lately, he seems to be finding an even fresher way forward – with a set like this that can grab us right from the very first note, and having us get excited all over again about his music! Bergonzi's tenor sound is tremendous ... CD(Jazz)

Flock

A pair of albums by The Flock – with bonus tracks too! First up is the group's self-titled debut – far-reaching sounds from The Flock – a group who were maybe one of the best American acts at the end of the 60s to blend trippy rock with the big new wave of jazz fusion! These ... CD(Rock)

Beverly Kenney

Great work from Beverly Kenney – two rare broadcast performances that add plenty to her too-small catalog of recordings! The lady's a hell of a singer from the postwar years in which artists like Ella Fitzgerald and Anita O'Day were issuing countless albums, year after year – one whose ... CD(Vocalists)

Danny Grissett

Pianist Danny Grissett is fantastic here – not just bursting out with so many deft colors and changes on both piano and Fender Rhodes, but also really showing some great strengths as a leader too! One of those strengths is the way he puts together the tunes – especially the more ... CD(Jazz)

Edition Speciale

A freaky French group from the mid 70s – one who are maybe a bit more hard-rocking than some of their contemporaries – but who also have a nicely jazzy vibe too! These guys clearly love American fusion – and use the kind of heavy drums, riffing guitar, and bold basslines you ... LP, Vinyl record album(Rock)

Boneshaker (Williams/Nilssen-Love/Kessler)

Plenty of bone-shaking going on here – thanks to work by this heavy power trio, recording in Chicago with all the harder-burning energy of the scene! Visitor Paal Nilssen-Love is on drums and percussion – playing with all the incredible twists and turns that always make his ... CD(Jazz)

Lee Morgan & Clifford Jordan

Obscure late work from Lee Morgan – the bulk of a live concert recorded in Baltimore in 1968, and featuring a group co-led with the great Clifford Jordan! The recording is one of many taped by Baltimore's Left Bank Jazz Society at the time – and like others you might have heard on disc ... CD(Jazz)

Various

A long-overdue second volume of the Soul From Jamdown series – issued 15 years after the first one, and maybe even more incredible overall! As before, the focus here is on Jamaican music that draws very direct inspiration from American soul – sometimes as cover versions of famous ... CD(Funky Compilations)

Sound Dimension, Soul Vendords, Brentford Rockers,

A heady set of tracks from the legendary Studio One – served up here in a set that include both alternate "version" takes of famous vocal tunes, originally issued as b-sides on vintage 45s – plus some of the more complicated dubs that came along once reggae production moved ... LP, Vinyl record album(Reggae)

Dee Dee Bridgewater

A beautiful turn in direction from the legendary jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater – a return to some of the soul-based modes she used in the 70s, but served up here as a tribute to Memphis soul of an earlier generation! The set was recorded in that fine southern city, at the Royal Studios ... CD(Vocalists)

Various

A great collection of postwar blues – material that springs forth from a wealth of rare 78rpm recordings – and which includes a number of tracks that you may never hear otherwise! The set looks at the sort of records that were pivotal in pushing blues forward in the years after the war ... CD(Blues)

Christian McBride Big Band

Excellent large group material from Christian McBride – an artist who may well be one of the most hard-working men in jazz these days! McBride's big band is always a treat – as the group soars with a soulful energy that matches Christian's smaller group material, but really expands on ... CD(Jazz)

Tim Buckley

A fantastic collection of recordings – one that features three different live sets by Tim Buckley – none of which were issued during his too-short life! The first half of the set – discs 1 and 2 – features the amazing Dream Letter show, recorded in London in 1968 – ... CD(Rock)

Bill Evans

Amazing work from one of the most inventive trios ever led by pianist Bill Evans – a fantastic group that features the young Eddie Gomez on bass and the mighty Jack DeJohnette on drums! Both players would develop into strong leaders of their own in later years – but here, on this ... CD(Jazz)

Chris Bell

The legendary lost masterpiece of Chris Bell – an "album" that was only pulled together many years after his tragic early death, as a solo revelation of the genius that Bell had brought to the first album by Big Star! The tracks are incredible – with plenty to love if you ... CD(Rock)

Jon-Mark

Ear-opening work from Jon-Mark – best known as half of the Mark-Almond band with Johnny Almond, but here working as a solo act on his own – in a spare folksy mode that's right up there with some of the best on the Brit folk scene of the 60s! Jon's guitar playing alone is worth the ... CD(Rock)

Mindy Carson

Lovely work from singer Mindy Carson – an artist who was best known for her broadcast performances in the 50s – sounding right at home here on the Let's Go To Town show for NBC! The late Dorsey Brothers orchestra provides backing – with Tommy on trombone and Jimmy on clarinet and ... CD(Vocalists)

Mungo Jerry

The complete early works of Mungo Jerry – one of the most unique groups on the British scene in the early 70s! Mungo Jerry have a style that's strongly influenced by American roots – blues, folk, hillbilly, jug, and string band sounds – of the sort that you'd hear reworked in ... CD(Rock)

Three Pieces

A great little album of jazz funk – and the only record we've ever seen by this group! The 3 Pieces may not have lasted long in the record business, but this rare album from 1975 has made them legends on the rare groove scene for years. The record was cut during the height of the jazz funk ... LP, Vinyl record album(Soul)

Various

The duo of Phonte and Nicolay have been giving us great music for many years – and here, they serve up a special selection of their favorite tracks from recent years – all with the warm glow and soulful currents we've always loved from the Reel People label! The set features two ... CD(Neo Soul)

Fumio Miyashita

Fantastic electronics from Fumio Miyashita – sounds that were never issued on record at the time, and which have been saved by the folks at Drag City from the vaults of LA's legendary cable access Boffomundo Show! Miyashita is best known for his work in the Far East Family Band – but ... LP, Vinyl record album(Rock)

Gianni Ferrio

A really beautiful little soundtrack – and one that's quite different than all of the other late 70s scores that circulated under the Emmanuelle name! This film came out years before that big cycle of sexploitation movies – and also was not part of that series at all – and while ... CD(Soundtracks)

Vibration Black Finger

The third release from this groundbreaking musical collective – and maybe their most compelling so far! As before, there's a fantastic melange taking place – elements of spiritual jazz, soulful funk, and lots more – but this time around, the sound is even more offbeat – ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz)

Jean Jacques Perry

Fantastic spacey sounds by the young Jean-Jacques Perry – heard here before his more famous American recordings with Gershon Kingsley – in a mode that's maybe even more abstract and modern overall! The sounds are an unusual link between the musique concrete scene in France and some of ... LP, Vinyl record album(Sound Library)

Tony Allen

One of the coolest records in years from the legendary Tony Allen – and that's saying a lot, given that his legacy includes famous work as a drummer with Fela Kuti, and a much more recent run of very experimental recordings! This set has Tony soaring out on Blue Note – and working with ... CD(Global Grooves)

Joshua Abrams

Josh Abrams just keeps on getting better and better as the years go on – to the point where he's a leader who's emerging with one of the proudest, most righteous visions in jazz! Abrams has played for years in the company of others – and his contributions have always impressed us ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz)

Bud Powell

The first-ever issue of some rare Bud Powell material from the early 50s – pulled from some radio broadcasts by NBC! The names of Bud Powell and Birdland have appeared together on plenty of CDs over the years – and often with the year of 1953 – but this material is not the same ... CD(Jazz)

Various

A classic early reggae collection on Trojan Records – so early, the back cover notes refer to the sounds as "West Indian popular music" – instead of by any sort of specific genre or style! There's a strongly unified vibe to the set – as all tracks are late 60s ... CD(Reggae)

Navasha Daya

Mindblowing work from Navasha Daya – a singer you might know for her key role in the group Fertile Ground many years back – still one of the most important contemporary acts we've ever stocked at Dusty Groove! Here, Navasha returns as a tremendous soul star on her own – working ... CD(Neo Soul)

Mojo

Dave Grohl is on the cover – looking back at "the songs that saved is life", Nirvana's legendary 1992 Reading gig and lots more that goes way farther than just what's going on the The Foo Fighers – plus features David Glimour in Pompeii, Sparks, Ian Durly, Cat Stevens, Elvis, ... Magazine(Magazines)

Muddy Waters

A classic early tune from Muddy Waters – one that might not have changed the world when it was released at the start of the 50s – but later gave the famous group their name! The tune's a wonderful mix of raw rural and early electric Chicago blues modes – spare, but extremely ... 7-inch, Vinyl record(Funky 45's)

Various

Woah! Don't get caught in the crossfire! I Roy takes on Prince Jazzbo, and luckily for us, Tubby's not taking sides, cutting mad versions and heavy dubs as the two Dee Jays trade barbs, rhymes and witty rejoinders for a battle on wax that lasted quite a few rounds! This great set by Pressure ... LP, Vinyl record album(Reggae)

Rock Town Express

A great Makossa groove – one that takes off from the Manu Dibango approach of a few years before, but stays equally funky all the way through! The title track is overflowing with very unique electric piano next to the riffing rhythms – and other tunes seem to be heavy on the same ... LP, Vinyl record album(Global Grooves)

Rufus Harley

A treasure trove of music from one of the hippest jazz players ever – the legendary Rufus Harley, a saxophonist by trade, but one who could also play the bagpipes as well! Harley had a really unique way of using the bagpipes as a free-flowing modal soloing instrument – one that's ... CD(Jazz)

Various

A hip celebration of all things spooky – pulled from that wonderful late 50s/early 60s stretch when the novelty market was overflowing with rock and soul songs based on Halloween topics! This collection is nicely huge – and while there's a few tracks here you might know from big fame, ... CD(Halloween)

Sven Ake Johansson & Alexander Von Schlippbenbach

A very cool take on the older style of German lieder – but one that's taken up here by free jazz giants Sven Ake Johansson and Alexander Von Schlippenbach! You'll normally know Sven for his work on the drum kit – but here, he acts as a singer – but with a very freewheeling, ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz)

Joao Gilberto & Others

Seminal sounds from the earliest years of bossa nova – a big 59 track package that brings together important early recordings by Joao Gilberto, as well as some other key bossa interpreters of his generation too! The set begins with Joao's early recordings of compositions by Antonio Carlos ... CD(Brazil)

Various

A very cool look at the freakiest years of the legendary Transatlantic Records label – an important British imprint that was essential to blues and folk in the late 60s, but which also released some much trippier material too! The music here is a frenetic blend of jazz, folk, prog, and some ... CD(Rock)

Irene Schweizer & Joey Baron

A fantastic combination of players – both musicians who have an incredible ability to be all over their instruments at once, yet always somehow sound completely in control! Drummer Joey Baron's demonstrated this ability for years, but maybe not as strongly as on this recent album with ... CD(Jazz)

John Beasley

John Beasley hears great things in the music of Thelonious Monk – and he turns them into a whole new range of sounds and colors that really bring a fresh perspective to these famous compositions! Monk's got plenty of angles, and plenty of stop/start elements – and Beasley recasts these ... CD(Jazz)

Tim Buckley

A fantastic live outing from the legendary Tim Buckley – one that not only includes Tim singing unusual versions of some of his album tracks from the late 60s, but which also includes a number of songs that he never recorded elsewhere! Plus, the quartet on the date also features Dave ... LP, Vinyl record album(Rock)

Adam Rudolph's Moving Pictures

The groove of Adam Rudolph just keeps getting deeper over the years – to a point where here, he almost sounds like he's somewhere between the scenes of 70s electric Miles Davis, and some of the later cross-cultural experiments of Bill Laswell! There's a great layering of electric and ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz)

Paul Bley

A great record by Paul Bley – one of his few forays into electronic music, and a set that's got a really striking feel right from the start! Unlike some of the gimmicky moog records of the time – or some of the noisier avant electronic sets – Bley finds a way to use the ... CD(Jazz)

Steve Guarnori

A hugely detailed book on the Wand/Scepter label – a huge soul music powerhouse in the 60s, and a company that flourished well into the 70s disco years as well! The label has a fascinating musical legacy – one that's much deeper than its big hits by Dionne Warwick and BT Express – ... Book(Books)

Antibalas

Maybe the most searing album we've ever heard from Antibalas – a set that's completely on fire from the very first note, both musically and politically – and which burns with an intensity that seems to blow away all their previous music! Make no mistake, we've always loved these guys ... LP, Vinyl record album(Global Grooves)

Various

A very cool collection of film noir soundtrack material – but one that's very different than some of the American packages on the market! This gem focuses on French crime films of the late 50s and early 60s – which includes some of the more inventive directors of the French New Wave, ... LP, Vinyl record album(Soundtracks)

Musiq Soulchild

Musiq Soulchild has been making music for many years – the man virtually invented the beats n keys format back at the start of the century – and he's still got the sharp crackle and classic depth that won us over to his sound back in the day! This double-length set is completely ... CD(Neo Soul)

German Oak

One of the darkest albums of the Krautrock scene in the 70s – an album that was actually recorded in a WWII-era bunker – where the duo were free to open up their instruments, jam for a very long time, and play with the sorts of effects and techniques you might know from bigger groups of ... LP, Vinyl record album(Rock)

Lizz Wright

Lizz Wright teams up with producer Joe Henry on a tribute to the grace of the American south – on a record that may well be her strongest to date! The set's got a warm core that really suits Wright's vocals – and the strength of her presentation here is so rich, she hardly needs any ... CD(Neo Soul)

Infinito 2017

Infinito 2017 at his most personal and ambitious – delivering a record we're thinking might be one of his very best to date – for the (so far) completely excellent, vinyl-centric Culture Power 45 label. Culture Power 45 is as much a collective of kindred spirit figures in independent ... LP, Vinyl record album(Hip Hop)

Funk Inc

A killer instrumental album of hard organ grooves and funky basslines! This was the album that broke Funk Inc out of their Indianapolis scene, and made them a force to be forever reckoned with in the history of funky jazz. The album grooves hard in the same sound as some of the classic work by ... LP, Vinyl record album(Soul)

Al Chem

There's lots of weird tones and textures taking place here – a mix of organic elements with an electronic vibe – all in a way that maybe puts the music somewhere in the territory of some of the 4th World Possible Musics projects from EG Records years ago! Electronics bubble along with ... LP, Vinyl record album(New Grooves)

Iron Souls

A sweet onomatopoeic groove from Iron Souls – a funky instrumental that really seems to have the riffing guitar making the "shibba shabba" sound of the title – while also getting nicely fuzzy and distorted, as funky drums keep a razor-sharp energy at the core! The guitar's ... 7-inch, Vinyl record(Funky 45's)

Georges Edouard Nouel

A hell of a great little record – an album made by a keyboardist from Martinique, working in a Paris studio in the 70s – with all the wonderful cross-cultural elements you might expect! The music is definitely jazz at the core, and quite spiritual too – but the range of ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz)

Tortoise

The first album in years from Tortoise – plus a bonus download of rare live recordings and great little photo journal of the band on tour – shot by Andrew Paynter! The Catastrophist album finds the Chi post rock heroes stretching out creatively in fascinating ways, some subtle and ... CD(Rock)

Ennio Morricone

An overlooked Morricone score – one that contains some of his coolest themes! The soundtrack was written for an obscure 1968 thriller starring Vittorio Gassman – and the overall approach has some wonderfully imaginative orchestrations – dark at times, but lightly floating with ... LP, Vinyl record album(Soundtracks)

Ike & Tina Turner

One of the best collections we've ever seen to focus on the sublime early 60s sound of Ike & Tina Turner – a package that brings together tracks from all their albums issued for the Sue Records label, plus bonus instrumentals too – all of which makes for a total of 39 tracks, and ... CD(Soul)

Thelma Houston

Fantastic work from Thelma Houston – material recorded in 1980, but never issued at the time – and maybe even better than most of Thelma's own records from the period! The tracks were recorded at Muscle Shoals, with tight production by Clayton Ivey and Terry Woodford – in a way ... LP, Vinyl record album(Soul)

Laraaji

Meditative music from Laraaji – the compelling underground artist who's been giving us music from the late 70s onward, and has had a great revival in recent years! This set's a great example of his renewed genius – a spare, stretched-out performance – produced by Carlos Nino with ... LP, Vinyl record album(Global Grooves)

Beyonce

It's a long long way from Destiny's Child – as Beyonce comes on here with a righteous power she's never had before – much more message-oriented, and with larger agenda than the catchy pop of her youth! The album got quite a buzz before release, and definitely lives up to that promise ... LP, Vinyl record album(Soul)

Dells

Pure genius from The Dells – one of the few older vocal groups who could really change and evolve their sound – not by losing anything from their roots, and instead getting better and better with each new release! This set's a perfect example of why The Dells were the pinnacle of ... CD(Soul)

Rita Lee

A wild solo project from Rita Lee – done after the breakup of Os Mutantes, and offered up almost as some sort of commentary on mainstream rock in the 70s! There's a much more straightforward approach to the music here – a sometimes-glammy sound that's echoed by the band's space-style ... LP, Vinyl record album(Brazil)

Portico Quartet

Spiritual space explorations by the Portico Quartet – a group who are really a duo instead of a four-piece – and who use a lot more electronics than some of their contemporaries on the Gondwana label! In a way, the music almost has the same post-jazz vibe as some of the work on the Tru ... CD(New Grooves)

Various

A dozen volumes in – and this wonderful series is still going strong – an incredibly solid, incredibly trustworthy collection of all that's great in the global underground! Gilles Peterson has been opening up our ears for decades, and he's never let us down – and, as before, ... CD(New Grooves)

Champian Fulton & Scott Hamilton

Champian Fulton's in a great setting here – working alongside tenorist Scott Hamilton, whose presence only seems to deepen the sound of the record! Make no mistake, Champian's great on her own – a hell of a pianist, and one with a very strong voice that seems to instantly wrap up ... CD(Jazz)

Piero Piccioni

A weird one from Piero Piccioni – part jazzy, like his earliest work in the 60s, and part groovy, like some of his later projects that have become legendary with Dusty Groove customers! The score's a nice one overall – mixed moods and juxtaposed moments, done with a bit of whimsy at ... LP, Vinyl record album(Soundtracks)

Main Source

A record that no hip hop home should be without – the one and only album from Main Source, but a set that's more than strong enough to stand next to the best from contemporaries like De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, and Black Sheep! Like all three of those groups, these guys have a way of ... CD(Hip Hop)

Various

A killer collection of rare blues from the Mamlish label – an imprint who brings the same sort of historical sensitivity that you might now from collections on Yazoo Records! As with that company, the music here is mostly pulled from vintage 78s, and given fresh presentation for a whole new ... CD(Blues)

Quincy Jones

A much-needed look at an overlooked side of the genius of Quincy Jones – not his jazz work, not his productions for famous soul artists, but instead his huge legacy of soundtrack material – a part of Q's career that really took off in the 60s! By the time he started working in films, ... LP, Vinyl record album(Soundtracks)

Various

One of the coolest collections of grooves you might ever hope to own – a batch of tracks that come from the unlikely prog underground in the UK – but which are full of heavy basslines, riffing guitars, and funky drums! A few years earlier, the UK scene was in love with American soul ... CD(Funky Compilations)

Various

A fantastic tribute to the legendary Disco Spectrum series of compilations – a run of records that first burst forth at the end of the 90s, and showed the world that there was a huge amount of underground music to discover from the mainstream disco years! Disco Spectrum cuts aren't the ones ... CD(Funky Compilations)

Rita Lee

A tripped-out batch of hard jamming tracks from ex-Mutante Rita Lee – recorded with assistance from all the members of the group at the time, but in a mode that's quite different overall! Lee is clearly the star of the show here – singing all lyrics with a much fiercer vocal approach ... LP, Vinyl record album(Brazil)

Captain Ganja & The Space Control

If you had to imagine what Captain Ganja & The Space Control might sound like, you'd probably get it right from the very first try – especially if you were looking at the cover of the album at the time! The set's a very spacey take on dub modes of the 70s – often augmented by lots ... LP, Vinyl record album(Reggae)

Various

The title might seem a bit all-encompassing – but given the talents of the mighty Ralph Peer, it certainly fits! Peer was one of the most pioneering figures in the early days of the recording industry – a talent scout who would endlessly search the country, especially the south, for ... CD(Blues)

Kingstonians

A stunning example of the way that the harmony trio had developed in late 60s Jamaica – a short but fantastic evolution of a mode that began in American soul, yet quickly expanded into something else entirely during the rocksteady years – to the point where it became the global calling ... CD(Reggae)

Dave Rempis

The reed skills of Dave Rempis are fast approaching the stuff of legend – and while he's a hell of a collaborator, really great in many settings, he sounds maybe even more amazing here on his own – in a set of solo performances on alto, tenor, and baritone sax! The tracks were recorded ... CD(Jazz)

Cher

We're not normally ones to stock a Cher album, but this one's pretty darn hip – recorded in at Muscle Shoals Sound, the studio referenced in the title of the album, and presented in a wonderful cover image that has Cher standing outside the tiny facility with a host of legendary studio ... CD(Rock)

George Hamilton IV

A pair of albums from the overlooked George Hamilton IV – back to back on a single CD! First up is Abilene – a seminal album from the great George Hamilton IV – a richly-voiced singer on 60s RCA, and one who was maybe a key link between Nashville and some of the folk boom of the ... CD(Folk/Country)

Undisputed Truth

The first three albums by Undisputed Truth – finally on CD, with bonus tracks too! First up is the amazing debut of Undisputed Truth – one of the coolest new Motown groups of the 70s – and one of the few that really continued the experimental legacy of the label in the late 60s! ... CD(Soul)

Marlene & Seawind

A sweet soulful pairing of talents – the lovely vocals of Marlene and the warm fusion talents of Seawind – coming together here in a way that's mighty nice! You'll know Seawind for their albums on CTI from the mid 70s, and this rare Japanese-only set is equally nice, but in a very ... CD(Soul)

Neon Philharmonic

A pair of amazing albums – and a huge amount of bonus material too – all from one of the coolest groups on Warner Brothers at the end of the 60s! First up is the record The Moth Confesses – one of our favorite albums ever from the genius moment of late 60s Warner Brothers – ... CD(Rock)

Paul Bley

Incredible work from Paul Bley – and a record that captures him in his excellent electric period, working in a different setting than we've heard him elsewhere! The group on the set is a trio – one that matches Bley's work on electric piano and synthesizer with percussion from Han ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz)

Tyrone Davis

Great work from Tyrone Davis' under-recognized years at Columbia Records – a wonderful set of mature modern soul numbers that really let the singer find a whole new groove! The whole thing's nicely free of any sort of commercial overtones – and instead, the album has Davis really ... CD(Soul)

Pauli Lyytinen Magnetia Orkesteri

A group with a wonderfully rich dynamic range – not the full orchestra that you'd guess from their name, but instead a quartet that maybe plays with an equal amount of power! The lineup is a beautiful mix of freedom and pulse – a piano-less combo that features Pauli Lyytinen on tenor ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz)

Gary Peacock

Fantastic sounds from bassist Gary Peacock – an artist whose genius has never dimmed in all the many years he's been recording for the ECM label! This album recalls the special sort of approach that Gary first brought to a small group setting back in the 70s – a way of putting the bass ... CD(Jazz)

Voices Of East Harlem

A pair of wonderful records from this legendary soul group – back to back on a single CD! First up is the Voices Of East Harlem album – masterpiece of sweet group soul! This was the first secular record cut by The Voices Of East Harlem – a group who'd had an earlier gospel-tinged ... CD(Soul)

Tyrone Davis

A late 70s gem from Tyrone's years on Columbia Records – one that shows both sides of his talents for the label! The set starts out with an extended clubby groover called "Get On Up (Disco)" – a bumping sort of number that's clearly trying to push him into Johnnie Taylor ... CD(Soul)

Tim Berne's Snakeoil

Saxophonist Tim Berne has found a great recent home in his Snakeoil group – combo that allows him to try out many different tones and colors, really pushing his music forward with a freshness that it maybe hadn't had in previous years! Berne's sharp-edged at the head of the group on alto ... CD(Jazz)

Tommy Collins

Two full albums from the many who was an important influence on California country giants Merle Haggard and Buck Owens! The first album is pure genius from the young Tommy Collins – an early figure on the Bakersfield scene, and an artist who almost single-handedly shaped the sound of the ... CD(Folk/Country)

Wanda Jackson

A pair of obscure albums by Wanda Jackson – back to back on a single CD! Wonderful Wanda is a great little country album from Wanda Jackson – not the raw rockabilly of her first years at Capitol Records, but a more mature mode that has the singer taking on some material that really ... CD(Folk/Country)

Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks

Pretty great later work from Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks – not the immediately-retro style of their earlier albums, but instead this wonderful blend of so many different jazz and acoustic elements – set forward with a style that's wonderfully groovy overall! There's a hip, scatting ... CD(Rock)

Rodina

Very cool sounds from Jay Whitefield of The Whitefield Brothers – an artist you might know from his funky work in that group, and in the excellent Poets Of Rhythm and Karl Hector & The Malcouns – three combos that were always dedicated to reworking the best funky styles of the 60s ... CD(Rock)

Delia Derbyshire/Brian Hodgson/David Vorhaus

Take a trip into space, all without leaving the comfort of your home – thanks to the amazing electronic talents of this trio of British sound library pioneers! The set is one of those that never got full appreciation at the time – as it was issued only by the Standard Sound Library, ... LP, Vinyl record album(Sound Library)

Willie Nelson

Incredible early work from Willie Nelson – quite different from his outlaw material of the 70s, but equally compelling in its own sort of way! As you'd guess from the title and cover, the set came out at a time when Willie was a real up-and-coming songwriting in country music – ... LP, Vinyl record album(Folk/Country)

George Freeman/Mike Allemana Quartet

A fantastic live album from the legendary jazz Chicago guitarist George Freeman – working here in co-leadership with younger guitar talent Mike Allemana, who was in the combo of George's late brother, saxophonist Von Freeman! The twin-guitar set has a searing old school vibe – like ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz)

King Tubby

A mindblowing moment from the legendary King Tubby – a set that takes his original Soundclash album, and strips it to the core – served up in an assortment of very heavy digital dubs that are maybe even more bass-heavy that work from the analogue generation! Despite the late date of ... LP, Vinyl record album(Reggae)

Marva King

A great set from soul singer Marva King – an artist who never got a chance to record many albums, but who's strongly remembered for this early 80s gem! The cover's almost got a retro sort of look, and King brings a bit of that to her vocals – a strong old school depth, which is given a ... CD(Soul)

FCC (Funky Communication Company)

They're not the same FCC that controls the airwaves in the US – but instead, the Funky Communications Committee – who work here with some great southern production from the team of Clayton Ivey and Terry Woodford! The record's got a glow that's kind of post-Muscle Shoals – maybe ... CD(Soul)

Chapter 8

The first album from Chapter 8 – a set that's probably best remembered for introducing the world to Anita Baker, but one that's also pretty darn great on its own! Chapter 8 have a sharply soulful focus, one that takes them a bit above some of the other mainstream ensembles of the time – ... CD(Soul)

U-Nam

A strong overview of recent sounds from U-Nam – one of the few contemporary guitarists to inherit the best 70s styles of artists like George Benson or David T Walker – and a set that also features a few new titles too! Like both of those jazz giants, U-Nam has a way of playing with a ... CD(Neo Soul)

Armando Trovajoli

Killer cop/crime music from the Italian scene of the 70s – a famous genre soundtrack from composer Armando Trovajoli, who's usually known for his work in warmer, sexier styles! The grooves here are right up there with the best that Italy has to offer from the time – full, jazzy ... CD(Soundtracks)

Various

A huge amount of great work from the FTG label – one of the most trustworthy soul reissues on the CD market! FTG has reissued lots of 70s and 80s classics over the past decade or so, often with lots of bonus tracks – a fair bit of which are included here, as many selections are remixes ... CD(Funky Compilations)

Zaid Nasser

You might recognize the last name of alto saxophonist Zaid Nasser, as his father was Jamil Nasser – the wonderful bassist who made some incredible music with Ahmad Jamal in the 60s and 70s! And while Zaid certainly lives up to the family legacy, his sound here is very nicely different – ... CD(Jazz)

Dells

An incredible combination of the two sides of The Dells – a set that has them presenting older tracks and newer material – all with sublime arrangements from the fantastic Charles Stepney, who'd really been transforming their sound from the There Is album onward! Stepney brings in a ... CD(Soul)

Alec Mansion

Sweet AOR grooves, served up here in French – which makes for a nice change from some of the more familiar American work of the time! Yet even past the language, the album's got a very special highlight in the keyboard work of Marc Moulin – still very funky here, as in his initial 70s ... LP, Vinyl record album(French)

Burnt Sugar

The Burnt Sugar sound just gets more and more complex over the years – to a point where it's even more mindblowing than when it started, and where it's hard to tell where one influence starts and another one ends! In a way, the approach here is like a fully righteous extension of some of the ... CD(Deep Funk)

I Roy

The classic full length debut of I Roy on record – although by this point, his reputation on the Kingston scene had already been set! Heavyweight producer Gussie Clarke decided to make a move into the Dee Jay realm in the early 70s and recruited microphone fiend I Roy to chat up some of his ... LP, Vinyl record album(Reggae)

Duke Ellington

Fantastic live work from Duke Ellington – recorded in Paris during the late 50s, during the same stretch when he was really doing some groundbreaking albums for Columbia! Like the material on those sets, especially the live ones, Ellington has a way of pulling forward the entire history of ... CD(Jazz)

David Bowie

A fantastic live set from David Bowie – recorded on tour in 1974 for the Diamond Dogs album – and a very much at the height of his mid 70s powers! The album's very well-recorded, and the performances are great – not muddy mixes of hits, but razor-sharp readings that crackle with ... CD(Rock)

Soul Survivors

A surprisingly nice record by the group who scored big in the late 60s with "Expressway to Your Heart" – and who continued to be one of the best blue eyed soul acts working on the east coast! This album's the group's second, done for Gamble & Huff at Philly International – ... CD(Soul)

Alfa Anderson

Solo work from Alfa Anderson – a singer that you might remember as one of the original voices in Chic – that famous funky soul group from the 70s! Alfa's still held onto all the funky edge of her roots, but has tuned it here towards a much more 21st Century style – lean and ... CD(Soul)

Dion

A pretty amazing little record from Dion DiMucci – especially if you only know his earliest rock and roll hits! Dion was always a cat who was hipper than most of his mainstream contemporaries – as evidence by the surprisingly deep turn he'd take at the end of the 60s – but during ... LP, Vinyl record album(Rock)

Bruno Spoerri & Reto Weber

A record that's way cooler than you might expect from the title – which is already pretty darn cool itself! The set's got sounds from an astounding array of instruments played by the pair – not just the electronics and keyboards you'd usually get on a record like this – but also ... LP, Vinyl record album(Sound Library)

Jac Berrocal

Wonderfully cool sounds from trumpeter Jac Berrocal – an artist you might know from his mid 80s experiments with Nurse With Wound, but who's maybe more in a jazz-based mode here! The set compiles performances from a variety of French and German concerts in 1989 and 1990 – with a ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz)

Various

A fantastic collection of funky mod and psych tracks from the great Rob Bailey – the man who's steered us through a handful of other wonderful compilations over the years, and won our undying respect in the process! Rob's choices are quite far from the obvious – and are made up from a ... CD(Funky Compilations)

George Benson

George Benson may have hit his greatest fame in the 70s, but the guitarist kept on making wonderful work for many many years – as you'll hear in this excellent collection of albums from the end of the 90s! The albums here show that, even during a time when so many younger musicians were ... CD(Jazz)

Nat Birchall

The earliest work we've ever heard from tenorist Nat Birchall – a player who's really blown our minds with his recent albums from the UK! This set's from the late 90s, and already has Birchall really finding his voice – a freewheeling approach to tenor that's unlike most of his ... CD(Jazz)

Vince Guaraldi/Rod McKuen/John Scott Trotter

An incredible addition to the world of Charlie Brown soundtracks – and a record that's different both from the jazz album of Vince Guaraldi tunes issued by Fantasy, and the album of Rod McKuen and other instrumental tunes issued by Columbia! Instead, this one goes right to the source tapes ... CD(Jazz)

Clifton Chenier

Strong sounds from the young Clifton Chenier – one of the first great voices in zydeco grooves in the postwar years! Yet the music here isn't the pandered-out zydeco of later years – when it was almost to the Louisiana scene what Chicago blues had become to the tourists in the Windy ... CD(Blues)

Various

Some of the most famous melodies in classical music – all served up here from core recordings in the Decca Records catalog, then reworked by a host of contemporary producers and studio talents! Make no mistake – these aren't dance tunes, and the mixers aren't out to dismantle the ... CD(Classical)

Pat Thomas

A surprisingly beautiful book on the famous 60s radical Jerry Rubin – one that's not only the first-ever look at the man's life, politics, and influence – but one that's also presented in a lavishly visual style that really conveys the crossroads of art and ideas of which Rubin was a ... Book(Books)

Behn Gillece

A date that's not only a great showcase for the mighty vibes talents of Behn Gillece, but which also has the musician working alongside some of his best labelmats as well! We love Gillece in any setting – as his work on vibes is some of the freshest of the past decade or so, and Behn's one ... CD(Jazz)

Delfonics

The Delfonics just kept on getting better and better! The longer the group recorded, the more they picked up this strange spacey quality that pushed them past some of their contemporaries of the early 70s. And on an album like this, they prove that they're way more than just Thom Bell puppets by ... CD(Soul)

Randy Crawford

A later date from 70s soul legend Randy Crawford – cut overseas, at a time when she was initially without US representation – a situation that was immediately corrected with the strength of the album! The set has Randy really getting back to basics – mostly working with tight ... CD(Soul)

Black Ivory

Amazing music from one of the coolest vocal groups of the 70s – a hip New York trio who never hit the heights of the Jackson 5 or Chi-Lites, but who are maybe even more important to our ears overall! Black Ivory started young – with a harmony style that was incredible for their age, ... CD(Soul)

Jimmy Castor

Three-dimensional magic from the great Jimmy Castor – an artist who'd already conquered the worlds of sweet soul, heavy funk, and Latin by the time of this release! Jimmy draws on all his rich background in the soul underground, and also seems to move with a new sort of sophistication, too ... CD(Soul)

Philip Glass

An amazing version of this ultra-cool item – the legendary Buddha Machine, which has been around for many years in a number of incarnations – but may well have found the perfect expression in the music of Philip Glass! The original Buddha box was a small transistor radio-like object ... Misc

Various

A super cool set in the Mood Mosaic series – and plentifully funky, soulful and jazzy, too! Like our other favorite volumes, this one covers a lot of stylistic territory, but it ultimately feels a little more coherent from track-to-track than the last couple sets, and does so without ... LP, Vinyl record album(Funky Compilations)

Augustus Pablo

The fantastic dub counterpart to the vocal album by Hugh Mundell – carved out of the same studio tapes as the original, but with even more space for amazing sounds from Augustus Pablo and the rest of the musicians on the set! Even without the message in the lyrics of the original, there's ... LP, Vinyl record album(Reggae)

Igor Eca

Igor Eca pays tribute to his father – Luiz Eca, one of our favorite Brazilian arrangers of all time! Most folks know Luiz as the pianist and guiding force behind the Tamba Trio – but he's also got a legacy of songwriting, instrumentation, and musical creation that go beyond his ... CD(Brazil)

D'Angelo

A record that was an instant classic from the moment it was first released – and a set that's still pretty darn pleasing all these many years later! At a time when mainstream soul was often too smooth or too poppy, D'Angelo came along and not only found a way to return the music to the years ... CD(Neo Soul)

Slits

The dramatic return of the Slits – sounding incredible here on this second album! The set's not as rough and ragged as their first effort – but is still also fairly groundbreaking stuff – mixing up dub and post-punk styles with an almost British avant sensibility that has the ... CD(Rock)

Jamire Williams

Solo drum work from Jamire Williams, beautifully captured by the spiritual production of Carlos Nino – and balanced out occasionally with additional keyboard sounds on Fender Rhodes and Oberheim, and some other percussion instruments as well! The approach here is quite unique – as the ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz)

Various

They definitely got the title right on this one – as the set's overflowing with the kind of classic club tracks that not only broke big in the disco generation of the 70s, but which have also gone on to become the sorts of songs that were real touchstones for the period! Some of these tracks ... LP, Vinyl record album(Funky Compilations)

Louvin Brothers

Sublime sounds from the legendary Louvin Brothers – heard here on a collection of tracks recorded before their more famous years at Capitol Records – for labels that include Decca, Apollo, and MGM! Yet even at this early point, the brothers are fantastic – graced with a harmony ... CD(Folk/Country)

Reverend Lonnie Farris

Fantastic work from Reverend Lonnie Farris – one of the key proponents of "sacred steel" guitar – the use of the mostly-country instrument in the setting of soulful gospel! Farris works the instrument in ways that are sometimes familiar, sometimes almost more like the use of ... LP, Vinyl record album(Gospel)

Bobby Hutcherson & Harold Land

A rare later meeting of one of the greatest pairs in soulful jazz – vibist Bobby Hutcherson and reedman Harold Land, who both cut some excellent work for Blue Note at the end of the 60s – coming back together here for a rare live date from 1981! The set was well-recorded, originally ... CD(Jazz)

Rick Deitrick

The only 70s album ever issued by guitarist Rick Deitrick – a set that was produced in a very small print run of copies – which were then sold at shows and in a few special record stores, and also left by Deitrick on woodland trails – in the hopes that hikers might stumble upon ... LP, Vinyl record album(Folk/Country)

Stevie Wonder

A classic testament to the genius of Stevie Wonder – a collection that brings together some of his most important work of the 70s, plus a few new tracks too – all graced with a back cover note that proudly states "written, arranged, and produced by Stevie Wonder"! That note ... LP, Vinyl record album(Soul)

Whatnauts

Incredible work from The Whatnauts – easily one of our favorite soul vocal groups ever! The trio work in the same sweet soul modes as more famous early 70s contemporaries on the east coast scene – like The Delfonics or Stylstics – but they've also got a special approach that's ... CD(Soul)

Small Faces

A seminal statement from the legendary Small Faces – a record that has them regrouping a bit, and finding a way to pack an incredible punch! The album's amazing right from the very first note – a perfect bridge between the ongoing mod energy of the London scene, and the psychedelic ... LP, Vinyl record album(Rock)

Freddie McKay

A legendary meeting of talents in the Studio One studios – the wickedly-grooving Soul Defenders and the heartbreakingly soulful Freddie McKay – both coming together here on an album that was an instant Studio One classic! The Soul Defenders have a slow-stepping groove with a nice ... CD(Reggae)

Various

Cool snapping grooves with plenty of soul – that special kind of sound that's come to be known as "popcorn" soul by collectors over the years – and which is often a great bridge between 50s R&B and the later sounds of the 60s! If you know the tune "Fever", you'll ... LP, Vinyl record album(Soul)

Mike Evans

Ever think about what makes a great record so great? It's partly the music, partly the production – but it's also often the overall presentation too – the way the whole thing comes together and feels in your hands, or the way it looks when it's next to the turntable – or stands ... Book(Books)

Return To Forever

Lots of musical magic here – a further extension of the Return To Forever vibe that helped Chick Corea find some of his best energy of the 70s! The style is still as tightly focused as before, but also opens up with a bit more soul, too – trading some slight moments of jamming for a ... CD(Jazz)

Paul Rutherford

Unreleased material by one of the greatest trombone improvisers in jazz – heard here on four very long tracks pulled from the vaults of Emanem Records! As label founder Martin Davidson says in the notes, the music of Rutherford was one of the reasons he created the company – and ... CD(Jazz)

Mort Garson

The Zodiac never sounded so spooky – and the album's one of the first in a trend that explored astrology with funky musical backings! The music for the set was put together by moogy maestro Mort Garson – then making a transition from being a straight easy arranger in the early 60s, to ... CD(Now Sound)

Television

The rare, long unreleased Television live album! Recorded at San Francisco's Old Waldorf in the summer of 1978, on the one-and-only US tour the band ever did as a headliner in their original 70s run, it's a revelatory and all too rare treasure. Television's well-known legacy as a mainstay in the ... LP, Vinyl record album(Rock)

Archie Shepp & Lars Gullin

A mindblowing little record – one of those jazz meetings you might never have thought possible, and every bit as great as you'd expect! By the time of this set, Lars Gullin had already reached the heights of jazz in Scandinavia – one of the hippest players of the 50s, ready to branch ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz)

Don Burrows Quartet

A record that really shows off the strengths of the Australian jazz scene in the 70s – so much so, it was one of that nation's biggest jazz records of the decade, and also got a fair bit of global circulation too! The album's billed to reedman Don Burrows – who's a bit like his nation's ... CD(Jazz)

Jay Berliner

A silly title, but a funky little record – one of the only ones we've ever seen from guitarist Jay Berliner, and one of the best cookers from the early 70s Mainstream Records years! The sound here is almost soundtrack funk at points – lots of up-front lines from Berliner on guitar ... CD(Jazz)

Various

The set's billed as "the perfect soundtrack to chill on the beach", but it's way more than that – and besides, when we always used to go to the beach, all the radios were always blaring classic rock or mainstream pop – and this collection is way way deeper than that! Guts ... CD(Funky Compilations)

Hudson (DeJohnette/Grenadier/Medeski/Scofield)

A group who take their name from the Hudson River Valley – beautifully pictured here on the front cover – and a quartet who work in an equally expansive array of sounds – all sharp elements of tone and timing from a lineup that features Jack DeJohnette on drums, John Scofield on ... CD(Jazz)

Sorry Bamba

Killer Malian music from Sorry Bamba – served up here on one of his greatest albums of the 70s! The set just features four songs, but they're all nice and long – and build up in this wonderfully complex, completely mesmerizing blend of percussion, keyboards, and guitar – extended ... LP, Vinyl record album(Global Grooves)

Oneohtrix Point Never

The contemporary soundtrack is alive and well in the hands of an artist like Oneohtrix Point Never – brought back to a new sense of intensity that it hadn't had since the early days of electronic pioneers like John Carpenter and David Lynch! Tracks are mostly spare, but striking – and, ... CD(Soundtracks)

Various

The continuing genius of this really wonderful series – just about the only way you'll get to hear this wealth of work from the UK electro scene of the early 80s – most of which was only released on cassette at the time! These tracks follow strongly on the electronic sounds of scenes ... CD(Rock)

Pioneers

An early gem from The Pioneers, and one of the first records on the Trojan label too – the kind of head-nodding, late rocksteady sounds that made the imprint a key bridge between the scenes in Kingston and London at the end of the 60s! The Pioneers have a bit more complex vocal interplay ... LP, Vinyl record album(Reggae)

Nice & Smooth

One of our favorite hop hop records from the end of the 80s – a set that sprang onto the scene out of nowhere and instantly won us over! They're not exactly the same, but we'd like to think of Nice & Smooth in the same space as De La Soul and Tribe Called Quest – because, like ... LP, Vinyl record album(Hip Hop)

Reverend Jodie Holmes

A fierce and firey sermon from the Detroit scene of the 70s – served up by Reverend Jodie Holmes with a fair bit of inspiration and accompaniment from other members of his congregation! The album's got a much rootsier feel than bigger-label gospel recordings of this nature – recorded ... LP, Vinyl record album(Gospel)

Charles Lloyd

An incredible album from Charles Lloyd – one that seems to return him to his spiritual flowering of the 60s – maybe just because the set begins with a searing long take of his classic "Dream Weaver"! But there's also a richness here that we don't always hear from Lloyd – ... CD(Jazz)

James L'Estraunge Orchestra

"Closer" is a fantastic groove – wickedly jazzy, and filled with lots of Fender Rhodes and strings – soaring to the skies on a slightly broken rhythm that almost recalls the best London work of a decade before! Yet there's also a stronger soul vibe here too – thanks to ... 12-inch, Vinyl record(New Grooves)

Lean Left (Ken Vandermark/Paal Nilssen Love)

It's easy to forget to breathe with music this intense – a full-on frenzy from a quartet that features Paal Nilssen-Love on drums, Ken Vandermark on saxes, and both Terrie Ex and Andy Moore on guitars! The guitars are spaced out – one in each channel – which only makes the sonic ... CD(Jazz)

Voices Of East Harlem

A masterpiece of sweet group soul! This was the first secular record cut by The Voices Of East Harlem – a group who'd had an earlier gospel-tinged album on Elektra, but who are soaring out here in a brilliant mix of righteous mainstream soul styles – courtesy of the Curtom power team ... LP, Vinyl record album(Soul)

Armando Trovajoli

A welcome portrait of the late 60s mod jazz and funk inspired side of soundtrack maestro Armando Trovajoli! Not to be confused with other more sentimental "Famiglia" soundtracks by the legendary composer – which would be easy to do at just a glance of the cover – 1969's La ... LP, Vinyl record album(Soundtracks)

Van Morrison

Van's debut album for Warner Brothers and a pretty radical departure from anything he'd done before – breaking all kinds of new ground for his own most creative work and helping pave the way for all kinds of hauntingly poetic rock, folk rock, and singer-songwriter records to come! It doesn't ... LP, Vinyl record album(Rock)

Various

A set that's every bit as wonderful as you'd guess from its title and cover – a killer package of all-girl rockers, and one that's filled with rare gems from the 60s! The material here is definitely a lot harder-hitting than more familiar girl group sounds of the 60s – as the tunes are ... LP, Vinyl record album(Rock)

Pedro Laza Y Sus Pelayeros Rito Esclavo

If a cover was enough, we'd already love this record – but fortunately the music's even better than the image on the front – which makes the whole thing a stone cold winner! The album's a great early example of the fresh, raw sound that was coming out of Colombia at the start of the ... LP, Vinyl record album(Latin)

Meridian Trio (Nick Mazzarella/Matt Ulery/Jeremy C

Triangulum – a great title for the wonderful energy of this group – which swings perfectly between the three sharp points of Nick Mazzarella on alto, Matt Ulery on bass, and Jeremy Cunningham on drums! These guys are freewheeling, but always soulful – not just because of Nick's ... CD(Jazz)

Ronald Bruner Jr

A very well-titled album – given that the whole thing's a real triumph from Ronald Bruner Jr – who serves up some wonderful vocals alongside his work on drums – in a set that's got a swirlingly cosmic approach to soul! The album's overflowing with hip talents from the ... LP, Vinyl record album(Neo Soul)

Max Cilla

Traditional sounds from Martinique – but played in a very jazzy way by fluteman Max Cilla – whose instrument glides and soars over a range of lively percussion! The group features a bit of piano and bass, but the various drums really lead the sound – as does Cilla's flute, which ... LP, Vinyl record album(Global Grooves)

Various

Funk from Belgium? Believe it or not, stranger things have happened – and we can promise that if you played these tracks back to back with more familiar grooves from other 70s sources, you'd quickly find that these Belgian grooves are right up there with the best of the bunch! The set's ... CD(Funky Compilations)

Love

Love's first album – a seminal bit of Sunset Strip rock, and every bit as powerful today as it was in the 60s! The style's a bit sharper-edged than the group's classic and more familiar Forever Changes set, but it's still pretty darn great – a completely fresh batch of guitar-heavy ... LP, Vinyl record album(Rock)

Albert King

One of THE electric blues records of the 60s – a seminal set by Albert King that was probably blasted out of more college dorm rooms than southside juke joints, but which still more than deserves its due! The set was recorded by Stax with a nice raw sound – guitar very much upfront, ... LP, Vinyl record album(Blues)

Various

You might know "Soul Makossa" – the worldwide hit by Manu Dibango that was covered by many folks, and sampled heavily in later years too – but this set takes a look at the deeper scene behind that famous groove, through a host of wickedly funky tracks from the late 70s scene ... CD(Global Grooves)

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